All of the really good ideas we’ve gone with have also been the simplest. Go figure. So we’ve been hammering out a plan for weeks now, trying to decide on the best possible stove top using the least amount of fuel. We worked with ideas using firebricks, and all sorts of designs, and we finally settled on a modified rocket cook stove. Simple.
Shane dragged in a barrel (yet another left behind by the previous owner) and we took the measurements before he set a fire in it to burn off the residue. We were hoping the paint would burn off too, as it has with other barrels, but it required a bit of sanding.
We used standard black stove pipe to build a sort of J-tube. Had to chop down a piece of pipe to get it just the right length but it’s a perfect fit now. Another length of stove pipe will be the riser, and we’ve got some old metal from a water heater that we’ll chop and use as a sleeve around the riser, to fill with insulation.
A chimney will exit out the lower third of the barrel and outside of the house. The whole deal will be insulated and plastered in so that it retains the heat where needed and doesn’t look like a hobo stove. I think with some creative plastering we can actually make it look quite nice. Pictures of the final product will have to wait- we won’t get this puppy in until the floors are done in the new house, but here’s some photos of the supplies to give you an idea of how it comes together. Simple and efficient.
A few basic measurements and calculations and we’re on our way.
Cut a piece of stove pipe to extend the feed tube by 4 inches.
That’ll be the J tube and riser.
The tin from an old water heater is perfect for cutting down and making a sleeve to hold the insulation around the riser.
Cleaning out the barrel.
Testing the draw on the internal unit. It draws surprisingly well, thought it might not at this stage. Now all that’s left is to cut a hole for the chimney and put the whole thing together.
Wow very cool! I bet if you out bricks around it they’d capture a lot of the heat and warm your house.
Thanks! And we’re actually building a rocket mass heater for the living room, so the chimney will be built right in the (cob) bench. Can’t wait to get building! 🙂